For me it is not about documenting my life at all. It is about processing very strong emotions (negative, positive, neutral?) that I can't move on from.
Here are all entries in my diary:
2025-07 The Pornhub Hoody
2025-01 Debating K
2024-10 The criteria
2024-10 No Encounter
2024-10 A Pawn in their game
2024-08 What a Wash
2024-03 S The Aftermath
2021-06 T admiration
Note the names are abbreviated with just a letter in the entry itself too. In the moment it is often too hard for me to write the actual name. I have removed the exact date but I don't think the titles are too sensitve.
I review my entries like once a year and it is still very hard to read some of them. I think remembering the past is very importnat. It also shows growth, improvement and development.
Older ones are sadly lost to time. I think it really helped me improve myself a lot.
I never force myself to write them. I write them when I feel I have to. It also keeps the number low and the impact high ideal for a yearly review.
Some have blocks of dated commentary at the end. I never edit existing writing though. Once it is written it is frozen.